Gloucester Magazine arrives at a pivotal moment for this cathedral city. Home to 132,416 residents and founded as a Roman fort nearly two millennia ago, Gloucester balances ancient heritage with modern ambition. This publication exists to chronicle the stories, people, and places that define life in Gloucestershire's county town.
A City Shaped by Centuries
Gloucester's origins stretch back to AD 48, when the Romans established a fort at what they called Glevum. By AD 97, Emperor Nerva had elevated it to a colonia, one of the highest Roman civic honours. The city's medieval chapter opened in 679 with the founding of St Peter's Abbey, which would become the magnificent Gloucester Cathedral that dominates the skyline today.
The cathedral holds a singular place in English history. Henry III was crowned here in 1216, aged just nine, making it one of only three English coronation sites outside Westminster Abbey. Edward II, the ill-fated king deposed and murdered in 1327, is entombed within its walls. The cloisters contain the earliest surviving fan vaulting in England, constructed between 1351 and 1377. More recently, filmgoers worldwide have seen these corridors stand in for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series.
Gloucester's motto, Fides Invicta Triumphat (Unconquered Faith Triumphs), commemorates the city's refusal to surrender during the 1643 siege of the First English Civil War. This spirit of resilience re-emerged during the floods of July 2007, when the city endured 17 days without piped water and 40,000 residents lost power for 24 hours. The annual Gloucester Day, revived in 2009, continues to celebrate that enduring character.
The River That Built a City
Gloucester owes its existence to the River Severn. Britain's most inland port, Gloucester Docks, emerged from this waterway, its 15 Victorian warehouses now housing museums, restaurants, and cultural venues. The Gloucester Waterways Museum, opened in 1988, and the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum, established in 1990, anchor the area's heritage offering.
Since 2007, the docks have hosted the Tall Ships Festival, transforming the Victorian quayside with vessels from around the world. The port's accessibility helped establish Gloucester as a centre for aerospace manufacturing; the Gloster Aircraft Company, founded here and renamed in 1926 because "Gloucestershire" proved too difficult for international clients to spell, became a significant employer.
Sport, Music, and Culture
Gloucester Rugby, founded in 1873, commands fierce local loyalty. The "Cherry and Whites" play at Kingsholm Stadium, capacity 16,115, which hosted matches during the 1991 and 2015 Rugby World Cups. West Country derbies against Bath and Bristol remain fiercely contested fixtures.
The Three Choirs Festival, the oldest extant music festival in Europe, dates to 1715. It rotates annually between Gloucester, Hereford, and Worcester cathedrals, bringing world-class choral and orchestral performances to the city. This cultural tradition complements newer attractions: Nature in Art, the world's first museum dedicated exclusively to art inspired by nature, and The Folk of Gloucester, a preserved Tudor timber-framed building.
The Media Landscape
Gloucester has supported local journalism for over three centuries. The Gloucester Citizen, founded in 1722 as the Gloucester Journal, remains in print as a weekly owned by Reach plc, with a circulation of 2,614 as of 2023. The Gloucestershire Echo, established in 1873 and also now a weekly, circulates 2,927 copies. Their digital counterpart, Gloucestershire Live, serves readers seeking immediate local news.
This magazine enters that landscape with a distinct purpose. Where newspapers chase breaking stories, we have the latitude to explore Gloucester in depth: the history behind the headlines, the characters shaping the community, and the issues that demand sustained attention. Our coverage spans local government reorganisation proposals currently under consultation, economic developments at Gloucester Quays, and the cultural calendar that brings the city together.
What We Will Cover
Gloucester Magazine will document the city's evolution through several lenses. We will report on the local government reorganisation that could transform how Gloucestershire is administered from 2026. We will explore the ongoing flood risk management following the 2007 disaster that caused £2 billion in damage across the county. We will profile the businesses, charities, and community groups that keep Gloucester functioning.
We will also celebrate what makes this city distinctive: its architectural treasures, its sporting heritage, its festivals and markets, and the daily life of its residents. From Barnwood Park and Arboretum to the M5 corridor that connects Gloucester to Bristol and the Midlands, we aim to understand how the city works and where it is heading.
Gloucester has survived Roman withdrawal, medieval sieges, industrial decline, and modern flooding. Its people have demonstrated resilience and reinvention for nearly 2,000 years. This magazine exists to tell their stories.